


Organs in Jars

by wacomintuos



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: (yes I'm tagging that), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood Donation, Donations to Science, Joseph Oda shouldn't have to put up with this, Ruben is a scab, Science Experiments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-08-12 00:59:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7914235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wacomintuos/pseuds/wacomintuos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Donating yourself to science would probably be a lot easier if the medical professional could at least try to take you seriously once in a while.</p><p>Placed on indefinite hiatus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I've been meaning to write this for at least the past three weeks! It's a little more dialogue heavy than I might have liked but hey, I'm quite happy with this. 
> 
> The canon divergence is that Ruben never met Jimenez and after the fire his mother saved him from the basement, etc. etc. and he got a job at a medical university. 
> 
> Hope you like it!!

“Y’know, I'd quite like to donate my body to science or whatever.”

There is an amused huff as Doctor Victoriano looks up from the brain he's picking at. “Do you plan on dying any time soon, detective?” He lays his equipment to the side, pulling his gloves off and setting them down neatly on the table. Sebastian shrugs as he leans back, making an exaggerated gesture. 

“Who knows? I could be shot any day in my line of work. And I mean, if I manage to help you make any breakthroughs, I guess, it's worth it, right?” He shoves his hands in his pockets, fiddling with a hole in the the left one. His grin is just a little bit mocking, but the doctor doesn't seem to notice or mind. 

“I don't think you seem to understand, detective, it's a long process, with a lot of paperwork-” 

“Like I'm not used to that.” Sebastian interrupts. 

“-and several medical exams and tests and check ups and even then we might not even need nor want your body. It's subject to the cause of your death, too, therefore if you die of some sort of disease the university will not be able to do anything with the corpse.” Doctor Victoriano holds a finger up to silence Sebastian, staring him in the eye with an unflinching gaze. It's quite a terrifying look to those who don't know him that well, but after all the time the detective has spent in the morgue with him, he's used to it.

Sebastian nods. “Yeah, I know. Believe it or not I did actually google this before I decided to bring this up because I knew you were going to be like this because you _always_ do this, Doc.” He sits down next to Doctor Victoriano, who removes his surgical mask. The detective peers at the brain encased within its skull and hums. “That's pretty gross.”

It looks as if Victoriano is going to reprimand him, but another thought comes into his head. “You _googled_ it?! This is a serious matter that calls for time and research, not a mere google search. You need to be sure you want to do this before you waste my time printing the papers and filling them out just so you can sign the dots.”

“I have researched it! I know I can pull out of it any time before I actually pop my clogs, anyway.”

“That's precisely it. You would have wasted my valuable time, Detective Castellanos.”

He rolls his eyes to the doctor, who in turn glares. (Of course he does.) “Why don't you shift it onto one of your colleagues? You have people interning here, right? Just ask them to do it; I'm sure they'd be glad to actually work instead of bringing you coffee ever so often before being ushered out of the room.” 

Doctor Victoriano sighs, looking at his patient as if he's tempted to shove Sebastian's face into the grey matter as a punishment for his obvious stupidity. “I would never concern an intern in any matter involving you. You are too much trouble for somebody untrained.”

“Oh, am I sensing jealousy, Doc?” Sebastian sniggers. 

“I would not be jealous of a man who is incapable of straightening his own tie.” Doctor Victoriano tells him coolly, checking his dressings. “And stop calling me “Doc”. I cannot understand how you're able to make even my professional title sound so informal.”

Sebastian instantly straightens his tie, still presenting him with his familiar good-natured smirk. “But Doctor Victoriano is so boring. It takes too long to say; Doc is faster.” 

“I did not choose my name, you'll have to speak to my parents if you want to complain.” Victoriano is quiet for a long while as the detective stares at him. Eventually, he shakes his head after what seems an eternity. “Ruben, then. You may call me Ruben.”

“So _that's_ your first name!” Sebastian nods slowly, his voice one of awe. 

“Which I'm sure you could have found out if you had even glanced at my files. Detective Oda is aware, and so is the woman you two are training. Kidman, I believe. I am in fact aware they approached the case in which I was accused of corruption and crimes against the human race?” Doctor Victoriano- no, _Ruben,_ smiles ever so slightly. 

Sebastian isn't quite so subtle as he bursts out laughing. “Holy shit, I forgot about that! Didn't that one guy say you were experimenting on live subjects and building bombs in your basement? Made it sound like you were torturing people!” 

“It _was_ rather absurd,” Ruben nods, “and I'm not sure how they managed to provide their evidence. I wasn't involved with the case.”

“Think they photoshopped you with some patients from Beacon,” the detective chuckles. “Have you seen them? You're wearing these blood streaked robes and some shit. We actually still bring it out at the office for Halloween!”

“I've heard them being referenced,” Ruben nods, but his smile has soured by now, “but I've never seen them myself. I'll have to stop by your department, if you have the time to show me.”

“Be our guest, Ruby.” Sebastian grins. 

“I'm going to have to ask you to leave.” Ruben's voice is firm and quite clearly irritated. He even rolls his eyes. 

Sebastian holds up his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, okay, okay, I'm sorry. Ruben. I didn't mean it.”

Ruben shrugs, making a soft humming noise. “I understand. However, I think your partner will be missing you. Did you even inform him that you were visiting for reasons that are not case-related?”

“I did, actually. Joseph doesn't approve, but then again he never does when it comes to you. Seems to think you have it in for him.” Sebastian pulls his phone out of his pocket, thinking to text his partner to tell him he'll be back soon.

“Detective Oda?” Ruben asks blankly. “I have no idea what would lead poor Joseph to think that. Send him my regards if you deem it fit.”

Sebastian nods, standing up. He pats Ruben and the shoulder and the man stiffens. “Well, I'd better get going so I can tell him. And by the look you're giving me, I've already outstayed my welcome.”

“What look?” Ruben frowns, and Sebastian just shrugs. 

“Just that look, that one there. ‘Kay, so I'll be back sometime tomorrow for the autopsy results for the case, and if it isn't too much for you to handle, I'd appreciate it if you managed to find the donation papers.” Sebastian tries to poke the skull of Ruben’s patient, but the disgruntled doctor bats his hand away. 

“Just go, detective. I'll see you tomorrow.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joseph really really needs a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh can you tell I had to force this out by the end

Joseph looks pretty irritated when Sebastian gets back from his lunchbreak. He's looking through the case files, and it's as if he could have done with a little more sleep last night. 

“Sorry I took so long,” Sebastian says in lieu of a greeting. “I was with Ruvik and we got talking for a while, so that was nice. And before you start lecturing me about spending time with him, he also apologised for what he said about you, believe it or not.” That part is a white lie, but it's worth the look on his partner’s face. 

“Really?” He asks softly. “Ruvik's not the type of guy to take things back, Seb. What did you do?” Joseph takes his glasses off, rubbing at his eyes, then slips them back on, waiting patiently. Sebastian just shrugs. 

“We got talking about you and he said that he felt bad for upsetting you or something. Seemed pretty sincere, too.” It's not like Sebastian to lie to Joseph, but he figures that this is for a worthy cause. “Does that mean you two can be in the same room together without biting each other's heads off now? Because that got old a while back.”

Joseph shrugs as the door opens. Kidman walks in, sitting down at her desk and unlocking her computer. Sebastian nods to her and she gives a hum of acknowledgement. “I'll have to think about it,” Joseph says after a while. “But I'd rather not have to talk to him.”

“It's a just a matter of being civil, you know! I'm not asking you to go out to dinner with him, just… If you have to talk to him for a case, just talk to him. Stop making me do it.”

“I don't do that! Sebastian, isn't that hypocritical? You're perfectly fine visiting him in your spare time, I thought you enjoyed his company! But you're just saying that you only do it because I tell you to?!”

Sebastian sighs. “Joseph, you know that isn't what I meant. I do enjoy his company, I guess. I mean, he's a lot nicer than he seems, in his own way. But I think that some day you're going to have to work with him and this grudge-”

“It's not a grudge.”

“This _grievance_ you have against him is going to hinder you!”

Joseph makes a sound of frustration. “Ruvik spends his free time cutting people up, he's creepy! Even if his job is mainly to perform surgery, he still chooses to waste away in that morgue. Who does that?”

“Scientists, perhaps?” When Joseph opens his mouth to speak, Sebastian makes sure to cut him off. “I'm not going to fight you on this, Detective Oda. We should just end this here.”

His partner sighs again. In this moment he looks so tired, so exhausted and Sebastian is concerned for his friend. Even Kidman has looked up from her work, an unreadable expression on her face, but Sebastian can guess that she's worried too. “Seb, be reasonable.” Joseph says quietly. 

“I am being reasonable,” he reassures, “there was no conclusive evidence to his case, and I will not have you judge Doctor Victoriano purely by his appearance.”

“I'm _not_.”

“Then that's good! We'll just end it here!” The look that Joseph gives him tells him that he's won this round, but Sebastian really hadn't intended to start a battle over this. “Now, do we have any new information on the case?” He asks gently. He's tired too, and the only clear thing on his mind is getting home to his apartment, turning on the radiator and sitting in front of the television watching the latest and greatest trash talk shows. But then he's going to have to do some of the paperwork he's been putting off for the past week, and that sounds synonymous with “hell on earth” to him. Maybe he should get a dog. But then he'd have to spend time he doesn't have giving the damn thing walks. Maybe he should get a cat. But then he'd have to feed it. Maybe he should get a fish. Sebastian realises that he hasn't been paying attention to whatever Joseph has been saying. 

“...And so it's logical that because Johnson’s wardrobes are bare, maybe she just packed her bags and left town? People still do that without telling anyone, so it is a possibility.” Joseph shrugs, and luckily Kidman has been listening so maybe instead of asking Joseph to repeat himself he can just sneak a peak at her notes. 

“But she left her savings in the jar, and her bike. If she's left Krimson, then why would she leave her transport and her money?” She pipes up, her pen moving irascibly on the notepaper. 

“Then she could've been taken? Perhaps, hypothetically speaking, the culprit could have kidnapped her and took her clothes to make it look like she left by herself?” Joseph muses, writing this thought down. It looks as if Sebastian is the only one in the room without his notepad open, and he swears softly, searching his desk drawer for a pen. 

“Hold up, Joseph, this isn't a murder inquiry just yet.”

Joseph looks up just as Kidman points out that there were no signs of a struggle. “Yes, it is. I told you this yesterday. _We found a body_.”

“You didn't tell me anything. And anyway, we already pointed out that we don't know if it's Johnson. The body's been left rotting for so long that it might be someone else entirely! We’ll find out tomorrow.” Sebastian clicks his pen irritatingly, relishing the sight of Kidman twitching slightly. 

“I told you yesterday!” He complains. “You were too busy smoking.”

“Joseph,” Kidman says cautiously, “you didn't actually tell him. This is the first either of us have heard about a murder inquiry. Are you feeling alright?”

The detective rubs at his eyes again, a tight frown on his lips. “I haven't slept in a while,” he admits. 

“Take some days off,” Sebastian suggests. “Call in sick. We won't mind, and we’ll even file in your paperwork for you! Isn't that right, Kidman?”

Kidman nods, and Joseph smiles gratefully. “I suppose I couldn't do with some time alone,” he admits. 

“See? That's good!” Sebastian stands, an idea suddenly popping into his head. “I'll be back in a few, I'm gonna go get us some doughnuts, okay!” He claps his friend on the back, giving him a reassuring smile. 

“Alright then, but I want toffee, and don't forget it, Seb.”

Kidman hums. “Strawberry for me, thanks.”

Sebastian nods, grabbing his wallet. “Back soon!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those cops and their doughnuts haha
> 
> No but seriously this probably should have been like double the length it is but I can't write anything over 1000 words and have it be decent


End file.
